Our Team

Our Team

Steve Ferreira – Executive Director

Steve Ferreira was born in Taipei, Taiwan in 1988. He was the second born of twins and due to birth trauma he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy shortly after birth. He and his twin sister, Emily, were adopted and they moved with their family to the Seattle area in 1990.

When he was 15 years old, Steve decided that he wanted to make a difference in the world. He felt he could not only positively affect the lives of people with disabilities, but also influence the lives of everyone else around him. He decided to start speaking at local high schools about what it is like to live with a disability. To this day he has spoken over 500 times at regional high schools, colleges, churches, Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs, graduations and numerous other venues. In 2012, he was invited to speak internationally at his birth country, Taiwan, and spoke at a Charity Dinner for Christian Salvation Services, the organization that sponsored his adoption, as well as, two Taiwanese high schools and Dong Hwa University in Hualien, Taiwan.

In 2013, Steve, in continuing his advocacy for people with disabilities, was elected to the Board of Directors of the Arc of King County. The Arc was founded in 1936 and is the oldest non-profit organization serving individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in the Greater Puget Sound area and throughout the United States. In addition to being a Board Member, Steve has been a Keynote Speaker and Emcee at the Arc Legacy Luncheon.
Steve’s motivation to start speaking publicly was inspired by a program called Challenge Day (www.challengeday.org). Challenge Day’s vision is that every child should live in a world where they feel safe, loved and celebrated. Challenge Day has a three step program to create positive change. The first is to wake up and notice what is happening in the world. The second is to create a vision for what you DO want your life to look like.

Finally, you need to act and have the courage and commitment that it takes to BE the change.
As a motivational speaker, Steve Ferreira aims to raise disability awareness within each and every community he addresses. Though Steve may progress at a different pace in his life, he is capable of achieving anything he sets his mind to achieve; there is no obstacle that he will not attempt to tackle enthusiastically. His drive and passion in life has always been to achieve above and beyond what is expected of him. Every day he continues to try to accomplish more at school, work, or his athletics while keeping in the back of his mind that nothing can stop him. Many of his friends, some disabled and some not, share his lust for life. His goal with his speaking and athletics is to try to spread this way of life throughout the communities with which he comes into contact.

Chitalu Mumba – Director of Programs

Chitalu Mumba has worked with Beyond Disabilities since summer, 2015 and became Director of Programs in the fall of 2016.
As Director of Programs, Chitalu assists with content for the services provided by Beyond Disabilities and is part of the strategic planning team. Chitalu brings a diverse perspective on disability and bullying from his time living in America and his home country of Zambia.
He has worked with kids and high scholars for four years, and has had five years experience in working with disabled members of society.

Ndayishimiye Priame – Director of Graphic Designs

Ndayishimiye Priame (Prime Time) has been working with Beyond Disabilities as long he can remember, and became Director of Graphic Designs for Beyond Disabilities in the beginning of 2017. As Director of Graphic Designs, Priame assists with designs, media and graphics for the website and other services provided by Beyond Disabilities. Priame brings energy, diversity and a different view on life.